The Omega quarters were located in the farthest corner of the pack house, a stark contrast to my previous life of privilege. I dragged my small suitcase across the threshold, the damp smell hitting me immediately. Mold clung to the walls, and the bare bulb overhead flickered weakly, casting shadows that seemed to mock my fall from grace.
"It's not much," said an older Omega woman who had been assigned to show me to my new quarters. "But it's yours."
The room was barely larger than a closet. A narrow bed with a thin mattress took up most of the space. A small dresser with a cracked mirror stood in the corner, and a single window let in a meager amount of light. The walls were bare except for a single hook for clothes.
"Thank you," I managed, my voice hollow.
The woman hesitated at the door. "I'm sorry, Miss Perkins. We all know what you did for him when he had nothing."
I swallowed hard. "It doesn't matter now."
After she left, I sank onto the bed, my body still aching from the rejection ceremony. The mate bond wasn't completely severed—Maximilian had only begun the rejection process, leaving me in a limbo of pain and confusion.
My phone vibrated in my pocket. Dr. Sophia's name flashed on the screen.
"Emily," her voice was tense when I answered. "I need to see you immediately."
"I can't leave the territory," I reminded her, my heart already racing. "Maximilian's orders."
"This is about your father," she said, her voice dropping. "His condition has deteriorated rapidly. The infection has spread to his heart."
I gripped the phone tighter. "What does that mean?"
"Without immediate intervention—a specialized Lycan surgery—he has less than a week." Dr. Sophia's words cut through me like claws. "Emily, he needs pack medical funds. The procedure isn't covered by standard insurance."
The room spun around me. "How much?"
"Seventy-five thousand," she said softly. "And we need it within forty-eight hours to schedule the surgery."
I ended the call and pressed my forehead against the cool wall. Seventy-five thousand dollars. As an Omega, I had no access to pack funds. No resources. No power.
I had to try.
---
The guards at Maximilian's office door sneered as I approached. One of them blocked my path.
"Omegas aren't allowed on this floor," he growled.
"Please," I whispered, hating the desperation in my voice. "It's an emergency."
"Like I care about your emergencies," he laughed, but his partner elbowed him.
"Let her try," he whispered. "Alpha will tear her apart anyway."
With a mocking gesture, they stepped aside.
I pushed open the heavy oak doors, my heart hammering against my ribs. Maximilian sat behind his massive desk, his eyes narrowing as I entered. Kehlani lounged on a leather sofa nearby, her perfectly manicured nails tapping against the armrest.
"What is this?" Maximilian's voice was dangerously soft. "An Omega in my office?"
I forced myself to stand tall despite the trembling in my legs. "I need to speak with you."
"About what?" His lip curled in disgust.
"My father—" I began, but before I could continue, his Alpha aura crashed down upon me.
"KNEEL!"
The command hit me like a physical blow. My knees buckled instantly, my body slamming against the hard marble floor. Pain shot through my bones as I fought against the overwhelming pressure of his Alpha tone.
"That's better," he said coldly. "Now, why are you wasting my time?"
I struggled to speak through the crushing weight of his command. "My father is dying. He needs surgery. Please, I'm begging you for pack medical funds."
Kehlani rose from the sofa with fluid grace, her artificial sweet scent wafting toward me as she approached Maximilian. She leaned down, her lips close to his ear.
"I saw her at the borders yesterday," she whispered, loud enough for me to hear. "With Alpha Emmett. They were... intimate."
Maximilian's eyes flashed silver with rage. He released his Alpha command just enough for me to gasp in a breath.
"Is that where you've been?" he snarled. "Selling yourself to Emmett for protection?"
"No!" I cried out. "That's a lie! I would never—"
"Enough!" Maximilian stood abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor. "You think I don't know what you're doing? What you've always done?"
He circled around the desk, looming over me where I knelt on the floor. "You're nothing but a whore, Emily. Just like your father said."
Tears blurred my vision as Kehlani's lips curved into a triumphant smile.
"Get out," Maximilian growled. "Your father gets nothing from me. Not now, not ever."
He turned his back on me, dismissing my existence entirely. Kehlani took his arm possessively as they walked toward the door.
"Come, my Alpha," she purred. "We have more important matters to attend to."
They left me there, sobbing on the cold marble floor, my father's life slipping away with every passing second.
